Movies and a view
Rooftop Cinema Club chain comes to Houston with simple formula: Show classics against city skyline
Nearly six decades ago, the Drifters had a hit with the song “Up on the Roof,” a celebration of a cityscape as seen from a rooftop aerie. Of course, songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King were in a New York, not Houston, state of mind when they penned that classic, but its spirit is evoked in the Rooftop Cinema Club, the Londonbased mini-chain of openair movie theaters that opened its first Texas location this week atop the garage of the BLVD. Place development in Uptown.
The idea is pretty simple: Show classic films outdoors at night but, unlike a drive-in, you’re not cocooned in a metal container.
Yes, there are many other outdoor screenings in parks or on beaches, but the Rooftop Cinema Club experience is meant to be an upscale, urban one. It’s a place, in the case of the Houston location, where you can savor the sparkling lights of the Post Oak Boulevard corridor while enjoying the film and then pop down to Whole Foods on the first floor to stock up on kale and coconut water on your way home. So, what’s it like?
Certainly, on that basic level, the fifth-floor Rooftop Cinema Club delivers what it promises. The views may not be Manhattan spectacular, but they are impressive nonetheless.
For last Tuesday’s media-night opening, the film unspooling was “Dirty Dancing” — a bit of a disappointment for those of us who wanted to see the originally scheduled “Reality Bites,” which had the added benefit of being shot in Houston. (Granted, “Dirty Dancing” star Patrick Swayze is from Houston but still … .)
The 200 reclining deckchair-style seats are comfortable though a bit low for those who might have trouble getting up and down. Also, as the roof is a flat surface, just pray that the person in front of you isn’t wearing tall headgear. Also be aware that restrooms